Book Review: The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness

Opitz, Donald, and Derek Melleby. The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2007. 144 pp. Softcover. $13.99.

(Review copy courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.)

Purchase: Brazos Press | CBD | Amazon

ISBNs: 1587432102 / 9781587432101

Excerpt: Table of Contents, Introduction and Chapter 1

Derek Melleby (M.A., Geneva College) is the director of the College Transition Initiative for the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, through a unique partnership with the Coalition for Christian Outreach.

Donald Opitz (Ph.D., Boston University) is associate professor of sociology and higher education at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous articles and has worked as a pastor and a campus minister.

The fonts used for chapter titles in this book immediately communicate that it wants to be serious without looking like a textbook. The book doesn’t assume that simply because a college is “Christian” in nomenclature that it won’t have its own idols (partying, success, etc.). Some of this approach may shock readers who are familiar only with an ultraconservative Christian tradition, but keep in mind the wide range of readers this book is targeting. As the authors point out, Christian campuses devoid of alcohol and wild parties may have their own idols that can impact academic faithfulness. The thesis underlying the book is that faithfulness at college means working hard to examine how sin has impacted the campus culture and its worldview. Much of the book can be applied to either a secular or Christian academic context.

The strength of the book’s ethical backbone is evident in the first couple of chapters. From this reviewer’s perspective, the authors accurately present the two crucial sides of Christian ethics while preserving a hierarchy reflective of the New Covenant. First, they locate the ethics of academic faithfulness in relation to Christ and the Christian community. The problem of academic faithfulness can only find its “real answer [to be] Jesus Christ.” Second, they locate the ethics of academic faithfulness in relation to the biblical wisdom tradition. Quoting Proverbs 17:24, they urge wisdom as necessary to “sift” educational experiences and the college culture that inevitably impacts all students.

Inevitably, the topic of “Christ and culture” appears as the authors try to prepare and strengthen the college student reader. By using the book of Daniel, the authors lean toward a Christ-against-culture (antithesis) motif that seeks to prevent “assimilation” by college cultures that can be very tempting in negative ways. On the other hand, they don’t prescribe withdrawal and isolation. The author’s state, “We need to learn how to defy the idols of our culture while at the same time serving within our immediate cultural context.” They also acknowledge that this is difficult and often requires sacrifice of some kind.

Theologically, the authors posit an inaugurated view of the kingdom of God that is similar to progressive dispensationalism. A major focus of this book is the use of the creation-fall-redemption-consummation storyline of the Bible to make connections with actual learning. This application of the large motifs of biblical theology to discipleship in the academy is refreshing. Negatively, there are a couple conjectures about the possibility of pre-Adamic “humanoids” that are distracting and injudicious, to say the least.

Overall I found the book to be balanced and well written. It is broad in scope while being particular enough to allow the reader to see the trees amid the forest. There are no quick fixes to deal with aberrant spirituality in college. Positively, the book encourages the reader to think of the solution in terms of years of faithful Christian discipleship. Each chapter ends with discussion questions that would make this book an appropriate guide for high school small groups or personal reflection for college students. Each chapter also provides a short list of relevant Christian books that would allow the reader to explore the respective topics in depth.

David H. Wenkel graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an M.A. in Christian Thought: Systematic Theology (2004) and from Bob Jones University with an M.A. in Bible (2006). He returned to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2008) to do a Th.M. with a focus in New Testament.

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